Apparatus for reeling rods



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A. HAMILTON. APPARATUS FOR REELING RODS.

"ilillll M! mum Patented Feb. 23, 18921.

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A. HAMILTON. APPARATUS FOR REBLING RODS. No. 469,521. Patented Feb. 23, 1892.

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V APPARATUS FOR REELING RODS. No. 469,521. Patented Feb. 23, 1892.

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A. HAMILTON.

APPARATUS FOR REELING RODS.

No. 469,521. Patented Peb.23,1892.

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* UNITED STATES ZATENT OFFICE.

' ALEXANDER HAMILTON, OF JOHNSTOVVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR REELING RODS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,521, dated February 23, 1892.

Application filed May 1, 1890. Serial No. 350,246. (No model.)

Beit known that I, ALEXANDER HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Reeling Rods; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the art of making rods of iron or steel of small sizes suitable for drawing into Wire, or for other uses, it is found convenient to gather said rods into coils after said rods leave the rolls, or other devices which give them their proper size and form. For the purpose of gathering such rods into coils a reel is commonly used, and the object of my lnvention is to provide such a reel that the coiling process above referred to may be carried on in a speedy, economical, and convenient manner.

My invention relates to an improvement in reeling devices,whereby the end of a rod is automatically engaged by the spokes of a reel as it begins its motion, and in such a way that the rod is formed into a proper and convenient coil.

My apparatus consists of a suitable frame, of iron or other material, which frame carries in suitable bearin gs ahollow spindle, to which near its center is attached adriving-pulley to be driven by a belt or other device, and a brake-pulley to be acted on by a frictionbrake, which may be of any suitable form,

said spindle carrying at one end a disk and at the other end a collar, this latter serving to prevent too much lateral motion of said spindle. The disk above referred to maybe made of cast or wrought iron. It has a hub bored out to receive the end of said hollow spindle, and a keyway corresponding to one in said spindle, so that disk and spindle may be keyed together, in order that said disk may receive its motion from the hollow spindle. This disk has radial arms which carry an annular plate of light wrought iron or steel, which annular plate serves to guide and to form the rods during theprocess of coiling.

In the disk and annular ring are inserted and fastened a number of spokes or pins, the bases of said spokes forming a circle concentric with the disk, said pins having their axes perpendicular to the plane of said disk. In the hollow spindle above referred to is a shaft, the axes of the shaftand spindle being the same. This shaft projects beyond the spindle at each end, one of its ends having a suitable clamp to prevent it from turning, the other end being provided with akeyway and thread and nut so formed as to hold in a fixed position near the center of the reel a device for automatically engaging the end of a rod and holding it for a short time while the reel begins its revolutions. This device for receiving and engaging the end of the rod consists of a casting in the shape of a long box with openings in its ends, these openings having the form of a prismatic Wedge, the base of which is presented to the entering rod, and its sides forming guides to direct the end of the rod to its apex, Where it is held for a moment while the spokes 0f the reel revolve. The parts of this device which are subject to wear may be made removable. Attached to the main frame are suitable bearings which carry a shaft, one end of which is provided with a lever so attached to the shaft as to cause byits motion apartial revolution of said shaft in either direction at the will of the operator. Attached firmly to and at right angles with the axis of this shaft are two arms which carry at their upper ends an idler pulley in proper bearings, and at another part of said shaft is attached firmlyarockerarm, which arm is connected with a device for moving a brake-block from or to the brakepulley before mentioned. The construction of this shaft and its attachments is such that an upward motion of the lever fastened at its end has the effect of moving the brake-block from contact with the brake-pulley and at the same time producing tension in a loose belt which runs on the belt-pulley before referred to, while a motion of the lever-handle in a downward direction allows said belt to become loose, and a continuation of the motion in a downward direction has the effect of causing the brake-block to come in contact with the surface of the brake-pulley. A belt from a shaft or counter-shaft driven by any Instead of placing my reel opposite finishing pass of rolls, with its axis parallel or nearly parallel to axes of rolls,-I place it to one side with its axis perpendicular to the axes of rolls,

as shown in Figure 5, and use a curved trough or guide for the rod, and my reels may also be placed with their axes forming an angle with the'aiges of the rolls. This construction has'tlie'advantage of enabling me to use two or morereels, when desired, and the partly straigh-t'an'd partly curved form of the guide which I use is found in practice to possess a great'advantage over the straight form. As the overflow of the rod is governed by the eu'rveitis not'liable to occur near the reel nor the rolls, but only at the curve. The rod is not liable to kink or foul itself, and the feed of the rodto the reelis renderedmore certain andpjerfectly automatic. As an additional assurance of'these results, the part of the guide-trough which is in a line with the deliveryan'd next to'the rolls may be closed ens tirely, or may have clamps or guards over it upon its straight portion, which will insure th'e e'sea'p'eof'the overflow to occur only from the'curved' portion of the trough. In either case'the object which is attained is that when therolls deliver a rod faster than its reel coils it, the surplus rod escapes over the side of the trough at' a definite point.viz., upon the curved portion in the form of a U-shaped loop, one side of which is a prolongation of thfi original line ofissue of the rod from the ro s.

The delivery'of the rod to the reel might be" effected by, means of a uniform curved guide, which would be the form of construction-most readily suggested; but this-form.

would not enableme'to control the overflow by giving it a definite form and makingit occupy'a definitespace, which Iaim to do and accomplish by the form of guide which I use.

Having given this general description of Fig. 1 is a front end elevation with .part of' the annular disk broken away to show parts behind it. Fig. 2 is a front side elevation with coiling-reel proper removed, showing the idler-pulley and device for receiving and engaginglend of rod in vertical sections through thei' r' ceIiters. Fig. 3 is a plan showing belt and'br'ake-pulleys and cast-iron and wroughtiron disks of reel in horizontal sections through their centers. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of hollow spindle, showing contained shaft in plan and'in place. Fig. 5 is a general plan showing rod-roll, carrying-trough for rod, and rod-reel. Fig. 6 shows an arrangement of two or more reels for alternate or simultaneous use. Fig-7 is a front end elevation in outline showing a wire entering the reel and becoming hooked over one of the spokes.

In the different figures, A represents the frame having bearing-boxes g g, with caps a a, which caps are held down in place by the bolts and nuts j j. The hollow spindle B rests in these bearing-boxes g g, and said hollow spindle contains the shaft O.

1) represents a collar on end of hollow spindle B, and d is a clamp madefast at oneen'dto the shaftGby the set-screw f,-and at its other end this clamp is made fastto frame A by means of bolt 6. This clamp d thus prevents shaft 0 from turning. or. movingun any way. At the end of the spindle B oppositethat occupied bycollar Z) isattachedthe disk'L, to which is attached the annular disk Mandthe spokes s s s. It is upon these spokes s and against this plate Mthat the rods are coiled during .the operation of the machine.

Resting.,upo11 the endof the hollow spindle B, against its shoulder is, is thedevice D for receiving and engagingthe end of rod to be coiled. This 'deviceD is not fastened to hol-' low spindleB, but iskeyed to shaft Oby-k-ey k'fand further held in place by nutmso as to be immovable. This ideviceD has .a diagonal rib N and spring-plates pp, so constructed 1 as toform a wedge-shaped cavity, intowhicln'.

The-dark circlemarked .2 on rib N-is an-oilhole forthe purpose of allowingthe bearings betweenthe hollow revoluble shaft B; the engagingdevicc D, and the fixed barO to belubricated.

K-is abelt-pulley fastened to the-hollow spindleB, operated by a vertical belt whichruns loosely under it,,-which belt is-brought in contact-with pulley K by the idler-pulley H. i

I is abrake-pulley attached to the hollow spindle B.

F is a shaft carriedby frameAin thebear: ing-boxes h h. Attached to shaft F at oneend is-the lever O,which lever hasa convenient hanvdle at oneend, its other end carryinga counterweight E, which counter weight may be so adjusted as to balance the other moving parts attached to shaft F. Attached firmly to shaft F are two rocker-arms l l, which carry at their upper ends the shaft G, which shaft carries idler-pulley H, shaft and pulley being so fitted that pulley H can revolve easily about shaft G. Attached to shaft F is another rocker-arm 0, which is so attached to a band q, carrying brake-block i", that the motion of rocker-arm 0 in one direction causes the brake-block r to rub against the surface of brake-pulley I, while the motion of the same rocker-arm 0 in a contrary direction releases the brake-block from contact with surface of brake-pulley I. The positions of brake-block r and idler-pulley II are so adjusted relative to shaft F, by the partial revolution of which both are actuated, that as the pulley is brought forward to produce tension in the belt and thus start the machine, the brake-block r is released from contact with the brake-pulley, and vice versa. Thus by the movement of the lever O in a proper manner the reel may be started or stopped at the will of the operator.

Referring now to Fig. 5, n represents the rolls which deliver rod to be coiled to the trough m from groove in said ro1ls, designated by a". This trough m may be of any form suitable to hold and guide the moving rod in its passage from rolls to reel. This trough is curved in plan and open in cross-seetion in such a Way that should the finishing-rolls deliver the rod faster than the reel coils it the surplus rod may escape from the trough in the form of a loop without crimping or kinking. As shown in Fig. 5, that part of the trough or guide end extending from the rolls to the point 7 may be closed, either wholly or by clamps placed upon it, so that the rod cannot escape from it, while the curved part thence to the reel is open to allow the lateral escape of the rod. This closing of the trough or guide next to the rolls will be found usef ul in practice; but it is not essential, as very good results are obtained from my curved form of guide without closing any part of the same.

Having now described my device, I will proceed to show how it is operated. In the due course of operations a rod issues from the groove 00 in the roll 4) in such a way as to enter trough In its motion along this trough in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 5 it is supported by this trough and guided to the reel, which is now stationary. The end of the rod passes between two of the spokes s s and enters the wedge-shaped cavity in the device D. At this instant the operator raises the lever 0, thus bringing the belt, which is always in motion, in contact with the face of the pulley K, which beginning to revolve, imparts its motion to the hollow'spindle B, which in turn causes the disks L and M and their spokes to revolve also. This upward motion of the lever also causes the brake-block r to be removed from contact with surface of brake-pulley I, thus allowing above revolution to take place. The end of the rod now being in the wedge-shaped cavity in the de vice D, the revolution of the spokes s s s has the effect of causing the end of said rodto become hooked about one of said spokes, and the motion of the reel continuing the rod is rapidly coiled upon the spokes.

Referring now to Fig 7, the dotted line marked y indicates the forward end of arod as it is delivered to the reel. The disk M, which carries the spokes s s s s, as viewed in this figure, is supposed to revolve in a righthand direction. The heavy line represents the wire as it becomes hooked over one of the spokes 8 during their revolution. The forward end of the hooked wire is marked to, and the back end is marked ye For convenience of illustration only a small portion of the forward end of the rod is shown.

\Vhen the rod is all coiled on the spokes, the machine is stopped by moving lever O in a downward direction, thus releasing the tension of the belt on pulley K and applying brake r to brake-pulley I. The coil of rod may 110W be removed by an attendant by pulling it over spokes s s s with a suitable pair of tongs or other device for taking hold of said coil. This coil being removed the reel is ready for another operation.

That I claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. In a-rod-reel, the combination of a hollow revoluble spindle, a disk or wheel provided with a series of projecting pins upon which the rod is coiled, said disk or wheel being attached to said spindle, a fixed shaft contained in said spindle, and a fixed device for temporarily holding the end of a rod, which device is supported and held centrally by said fixed shaft for the purpose of engaging the end of a rod to be coiled, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In a rod-reel, the combination, with the frame and driving mechanism, of a hollow revoluble spindle, a disk or wheel provided with a series of projecting pins, said disk being carried by said spindle, a fixed bar passing through said spindle, a fixed device for temporarily holding the end of a rod, which device is supported centrally and held on the end of said bar, and a clamp attached to said bar, substantiallyas set forth.

3. In a rod-reel, the combination, with the frame and driving mechanism, of a hollow revoluble spindle, a disk or wheel provided with a series of projecting pins, said disk being carried bythe spindle, a fixed bar extending through the spindle, and a device for temporarily holding the end of a rod, which device is centrally fixed on said bar and which consists of a box-shaped casting with openings in the ends having the form of a prismatic wedge, the base of which is presented to the entering rod and thesides-of which form [guides to direct the rod to its apex, substantially as set forth.

4:. In a rod-reel, the combination, with the frame and driving mechanism, of a hollow revoluble spindle, a disk or wheel provided with a series of projecting -pins,'said disk be ing carried by said spindle, afixed bar passing through said spindle,'a device for temporarily holding the end of a rod, which device is centrally fixed on the end of said bar, said device having, in combination, a boxshaped forging or casting, a funnel or wedge shaped cavity therein, and a spring-plate for gripping the end of a rod, substantially as set forth.

5. Ina rod-reel, the combination of "adriving-pulley and brake-pulley with a hollow revoluble spindle upon which said pulleys are fastened, a disk or Wheel provided with a se-- ries of projecting pins, said disk being carried bysaid spindle, a fixed shaft passing-through saidspindle; and a box-shaped forging or castinghavinga wedge-shaped cavity within its end to'receive and grip the rod, substantially as set forth.

6. In a rod-mil1, the combination, with the rolls,=ofa-reel or reels placed at either or both sides-of the'delivery-l-ine of the rolls, eachof saidrecls having, in combination, ahollow revoluble spindle, a disk or Wheel-provided with'a series of projecting pins, said disk' being carried on said spindle, a fixed bar or shaft passing through said spind1e,'afixed device for temporarily holding the endof a rod, said device beingisupported centrally by said bar andrhaving the form-of 'a'box with a Wedge-shaped opening at its: end; oneor more curved or partly-curved troughs-to guide 7 the rod to its reel, thestraight end of said troughs being next to and in line of delivery of the rolls and at-right angles to theaxes of said rolls, and-'aclamp or clamps attached to and closing said trough in its straight portions forthe purpose of allowing the surplns of the rod to'escape at-a certain part of its curved portion, substantially as set forth.

7. In arod-mill, the combination, with the rolls, of a reel or reels placed at either orboth" sides of the delivery-line of'the rolls, each of said reels having, in combination with its frame and driving mechanism, a hollow revolublespindle, a disk or Wheel provided with a series of projecting pins, saiddisk being attached to said spindle, a fixed ba'r passing through said spindle, and a fixed device for temporarily holding the end of a red attached centrally tosaid bar, with a trough or troughsto guide the rod from the rolls to the reel, which trough is partly opened andpartly closed and which conforms to-the line of de livery of the-rolls-in-its closed section next th e rolls andis open -to admit of the overflow of the-rod at a' proper place near the reel, substantially asset forth.

8. Ina rod-mill, one-ormore reels the-axes of which are arrangedperpendicularly to the axes of the rolls, each reel having, in combiprovided with an opening to allow the surplus rod to-overiiow and escape in the form of a loop-ata-certa-inplace, substantially as set forth".

In-testimony-whereof Iaffix my-signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON-L Witnesses:-

GEo. E. THACKRAY, GEO. N. KERBEY. 

